Those who enjoy unique flavors of barbecue are finding an inexpensive alternative to wood chips and chemical flavor enhancers by using grilling flavor sprays.
Available in most grocery stores, especially during the areas’ grilling season, they come in a wide range of flavors and are healthier than many sauces typically used on barbecued meat. Some of the more popular flavors include mesquite, apple wood and hickory.
There are also wood chips that contain flavors for grilling, but they can be messy and expensive to use and once the meat is cooked, if there isn’t enough flavor to the meat, it can not be added later.
Grilling flavor sprays are applied directly to the meat before cooking to allow the flavor to permeate the meat during the grilling process. This allows the flavor to be enjoyed throughout the entire piece, instead of only in the area on which the flavor was applied.
Additionally, if the meat does not have enough flavor after it is cooked, a few more sprays can enhance the flavor to meet everyone’s taste preference.
Barbecue flavor sprays are available in water soluble and oil soluble, depending on individual preference, and since they are used during the cooking process, present no clean up opportunities, other than the typical cleaning of the grill.
For the more adventurous outdoor cook, different flavor can be used in combination to provide unique tasting foods.
Many grill flavor sprays can be found in stores for $5 or less, making them an economical alternative to wood chips or wood chunks, and pose none of the mess as some of the chips may not burn completely, adding to he clean up.
Since they are sprayed directly on the meat, they also help prevent the meat from sticking to the grill. However, the grilling surface should be cleaned before every use to provide a clean cooking surface and to prevent flavors that may not mix well together from being combined.
It should be noted that most barbecue flavor sprays are made of all natural ingredients, and the flavoring will be artificial. There are typically no added calories or fats in flavor sprays, providing a healthy alternative to the outdoor cooking experience.
